Grammar Worksheets KEY 5-8
Grammar Worksheets KEY 5-8
Grammar Worksheets KEY 5-8
STAYING IN
NOUN PHRASES
Adding information before nouns
Names and the kinds of things they are
We often add the name of something to the kind of thing it is (or vice versa). No linker or relative
clause is needed.
You can go on a tour of the Tudor residence, Speke Hall, from eleven o’clock.
You can get a great view of the Empire State Building, New York City’s iconic skyscraper, from the
Rockefeller Center.
Compound nouns
Nouns can act like adjectives and define other nouns. The first noun isn’t plural.
bike race
tube stations
film critics
Adjectives
Adjectives usually go before nouns. We don’t tend to use more than three adjectives before a
noun. As a general rule, we give opinions first, then facts.
disgusting large black insects
fabulous new colourful clothes
We sometimes make compound adjectives with a number + noun. The noun is not plural.
a five-course meal
a four-star hotel
We also sometimes make compound adjectives instead of relative clauses.
The film is known for its action-packed plot. (= a plot that is full of action)
The city is famous for its awe-inspiring architecture. (= architecture that inspires awe)
1 sits the iconic / at the highest point / designed by Sir Christopher Wren / St Paul’s Cathedral, /
of the City of London
At the highest point of the City of London sits the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral, designed by
Sir Christopher Wren.
2 inspired by and named after / the Taj Mahal, / is surely / India’s immense white marble
mausoleum, / Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, / Mumtaz Mahal, / tourist destinations in the world /
one of the most sought-after
The Taj Mahal, India’s immense white marble mausoleum, inspired by and named after
Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, is surely one of the most sought-after tourist
destinations in the world.
3 the 30-metre-tall giant statue of Jesus, / offers spectacular views / Rio de Janeiro, / Christ the
Redeemer, / over the Brazilian city / towering above
Towering above Rio de Janeiro, the 30-metre-tall giant statue of Jesus, Christ the Redeemer,
offers spectacular views over the Brazilian city.
I wish
I / you / he / she / it / we / they would / wouldn’t eat
if only
I wish
I / you / he / she / it / we / they had / hadn’t eaten
if only
get passives
We can often use get instead of be for some verbs. This is more common in informal spoken
language than in academic writing. Get passives often show an action was unexpected or
accidental. They can also sometimes be used to express a lack of responsibility or accountability.
The vase got damaged during the move.
A: Haven’t you finished your report yet?
B: No, but don’t worry. It’ll get done.
Reporting
In academic writing and journalism, we often use reporting verbs in the passive form when the
source is unimportant or to suggest a degree of uncertainty.
The language is believed to be one of the most complex in the region.
It’s been suggested that our very early memories are, in fact, false.
Avoiding passives
In more informal spoken English, we often use you or they to avoid passives.
You can use the receipt as proof of purchase. (= The receipt can be used as proof of purchase.)
They’ve restored the church. (= The church has been restored.)
1 Complete the sentences with the most appropriate passive form of the verbs
in brackets.
Several common garden herbs are being used (use) to treat various conditions.
Questions
We use auxiliaries to form normal questions such as Do you like it? and Have you been there?
We also use auxiliaries to form tag questions at the end of statements as well as short responses
and rhetorical questions.
Tags
We often use tags to ask genuine questions to check things or to make polite requests. However,
we also use tags when giving an opinion we expect people to agree with.
Positive sentences normally use negative tags and negative statements use a positive tag.
He’s a fantastic singer, isn’t he?
We haven’t paid that bill, have we?
Short questions
We often use short auxiliary questions as responses to show interest and continue the
conversation.
A: I’m not very keen on beaches.
B: Aren’t you?
A: No. I don’t like the sun.
Avoiding repetition
Auxiliaries help us to avoid repeating a verb or verb phrase we have already used.
Why is it that whenever we have a disagreement, your mother won’t interfere, but your father will
interfere?
so and nor
When we avoid repetition with an auxiliary after so / nor / neither, the subject and auxiliary are
reversed.
A: We aren’t planning to go to the village fair this weekend.
B: Really? Neither are we!
Emphasising
We often use auxiliaries to add emphasis when we are contradicting what someone has said or
written. In speech, we do this by stressing the auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, we add do / does
/ did.
Some dogs do get anxious when they are left on their own, but this has very little to do with the dog’s
breed.
We also use auxiliaries in emphatic tags.
I love the opera, I really do.
A: We’ll get to the summit by midday if we take this path, won’t we?
B: Yes, we will. But I think we should take the steeper path, I really 1 do . It’s quicker,
and I want to stop and each lunch as soon as possible. I’m so hungry.
A: 2 Are you? I feel a bit tired.
B: So 3 do I. Can we rest for a couple of hours at the top?
A: No, but I wish we 4 could .
B: Why 5 can’t we? Do you need to get home early? 6 Have you forgotten to
feed the cat again?
A: No, I 7 haven’t , but the weather is getting worse. If it 8 wasn’t , we 9 could
stay longer, but we really 10 do have to get back down the mountain before
six o’clock!
B: 11 Have you called Diana yet?
A: No, but I 12 will in a moment. I’ll tell her our plan so that she 13 can / will be
waiting when we get back. I 14 don’t want to be any later than six.
B: Neither 15 do I if the weather is going to be bad. But next time we come, I’d like to
stay a bit longer, I really 16 would . It’s so beautiful here.